That 'Guile Sword,' Ren Qianchou, seemed tailor-made for what Zong Shou was about to say. He merely gave the three individuals a cold sweep of his gaze before turning and striding away.

Zong Shou’s brow furrowed slightly, then smoothed out again. With genuine interest, he inquired, “Then who are the other six?”

Yin Yang, merely by observing Zong Shou’s expression, knew that his previous words had been utterly wasted. With a soft sigh, he patiently replied, “Though the Seven Swords of Yunxia number seven, besides this ‘Guile Sword,’ Ren Qianchou, only ‘Nether Sword,’ Lü Qing, and ‘Void Sword,’ Han Kong, are truly renowned. Both are Grandmaster powerhouses, each presiding over their own domain. Furthermore, there are two others—‘Gale Sword,’ Xie Jun, and ‘Rage Sword,’ Yun Tao—who have always been inseparable from Ren Qianchou. Their strength is only a fraction weaker than Ren Qianchou’s!”

Zong Shou understood Yin Yang’s implication. Since Ren Qianchou was so certain he could take Zong Shou’s life within half a month, the forces dispatched from Yunxia Mountain would certainly not consist of only the Guile Sword. Given that ‘Gale Sword,’ Xie Jun, and ‘Rage Sword,’ Yun Tao, frequently accompanied Ren Qianchou, they had most likely arrived this time as well.

However, what occupied his mind more keenly at the moment was that ‘Nether Sword.’ It instinctively brought to mind a Sword Intent that he had delved into most deeply and mastered most thoroughly in his previous life.

In the Divine Emperor game, he was known as the Sword Emperor. But in reality, his title also contained the character for ‘Nether.’

He wondered if this person had walked the same path as he once had, and whether they might offer him some unexpected surprises.

As Yin Yang concluded, distinct hostility flickered in his eyes: “This person is arrogant and untamed, but given three months, Yin Yang can claim parity with him. For now, however, I am no match for him. My Lord, since the situation within Qiantian Mountain has shifted, should things come to the worst, we might have to seek aid from that Zilei Spear Sect’s Yuan and Zong Ling…”

Zong Shou merely smiled upon hearing this, still offering no reply. Even if the three figures in Qiantian Mountain had entertained notions of protecting him on his return to take the Demon King’s throne, one thing would remain immutable.

That was the pruning of his wings and manpower, the eradication of Zong Weiran’s influence.

It would be best to use outside hands; if not, he could certainly do it himself. Moreover, the three shared a certain tacit understanding among themselves.

Thus, from the very beginning, he had never planned to rely on their strength.

At this moment, he had no inclination to conceal his power. In this predicament, surrounded by wolves, concealment was likely impossible anyway. It was better to display it openly, showing those who still held loyalty to him a glimmer of hope.

If he could not establish his authority by killing today, he would have to wait for another time. After all, this was within Cloud Saint City; he needed to afford the City Lord some face.

With the foundation left by his father, reclaiming the Demon King’s throne and seizing control of the four provinces’ authority did not require any wicked schemes. He could simply use brute force directly and honorably.

This path, though it placed him in grave danger—certainly inviting fierce counterattacks from those three, and even compelling forces like Yunxia Mountain and Blazing Flame Mountain to strike without reservation—was one Zong Shou feared the least at this juncture. Having been the foremost of the Seven Sovereigns in his past life, and the most outstanding rising talent in the Cloud Realm for centuries in this reality, how could he fear such minor peril?

His Martial Dao, though it fused the essence of a hundred schools into one furnace, found greater comprehension of the Divine Martial Realm the broader his experience became.

However, it was not unwelcome to achieve enlightenment through slaughter!

The essence absorbed from the Thunder Luan Egg required a certain degree of external pressure to stimulate latent potential, allowing the congenital vital essence settled within his bones, muscles, and meridians to be fully integrated and digested.

Setting aside the matter of the Seven Swords of Yunxia, Zong Shou began to worry about his fiancée back home, wondering if the Meridian Spirit Pills were ready yet.

His pace immediately quickened, and upon returning to his courtyard residence, he found that Xuanyuan Yiren and Li Yuniang had vanished once more.

Yet, neatly placed beside the furnace were three medicine bottles and a slip of paper inscribed with the message, ‘Pills are refined; do not consume randomly.’

Zong Shou picked it up and examined them. They were pure black, resembling longan fruit, with a faint, fishy odor. Their appearance was strikingly similar to the ‘Meridian Spirit Pills’ he had refined previously.

But this time, without needing to test them, Zong Shou simply knew. These pills were undoubtedly the genuine Meridian Spirit Pills!

“A total of one hundred thirty-four pills. I used only a third of the medicinal herbs I collected. The silver-thread carbon consumed was only five jin. This girl actually managed only one furnace run, and the residual heat suggests she only spent two hours…”

Even with Zong Shou’s vast knowledge, a flash of shock crossed his eyes.

No wonder this woman was taken as a disciple by the so-called Elder Mingdan. No wonder the Danquan Sect listed her as a direct disciple. Such innate talent for alchemy was truly extraordinary.

At this moment, even he felt a sense of shame compared to the ‘Zong Shou’ of his previous life.

Such a favored daughter of heaven—a devoted wife indeed.

“Where on earth did these two women go? They asked for rooms in my courtyard, yet they are never seen. They are so secretive; it’s truly baffling…”

Zong Shou felt a surge of curiosity, but his focus quickly shifted to the Meridian Spirit Pills in his hand, an impatience building within him.

As soon as they returned to the courtyard, Chu Xue and Yin Yang immediately entered secluded meditation to refine the medicinal efficacy of the Human Extreme Pills.

Zong Shou also shut his own door and promptly swallowed a Meridian Spirit Pill.

Moments later, he felt his limbs grow soft and utterly devoid of strength. Looking inward, he saw his meridians also gradually softening.

Zong Shou’s eyes brightened; the Meridian Spirit Pills refined by Xuanyuan Yiren were indeed effective.

The toxins were neutralized the moment they entered his body. Furthermore, the medicinal effect seemed to surpass that of ordinary Meridian Spirit Pills by about thirty percent, classifying them as high-grade spirit pills!

Though his body felt weak, Zong Shou violently circulated his True Qi, forcibly motivating his bones and muscles until he stood up.

First, he executed a set of Fetal Breathing Spirit Fists, transforming utmost softness into absolute hardness. This was followed by the Great Sun Bright Flame Fist, transitioning from hard to soft.

For the final move, the nature of the fist technique changed again. This time, it perfectly balanced hardness and softness—it was the ‘Lesser Five Wheels Bright King Fist’ Zong Shou had learned in his past life.

After training the Fetal Breathing and marrow, the next stage was to temper the vital energy and blood, and strengthen the Five Viscera. The Lesser Five Wheels Bright King Fist was a foundational set of exercises for strengthening the body by cultivating Qi and Blood and fortifying the Five Viscera, also originating from Buddhism.

By absorbing the Thunder Luan Egg, Zong Shou had directly leaped to the rank of a Seven-Meridian Secret Martial Master, entering the stage of refining the Six Viscera, skin, membranes, and muscles.

However, the Qi, Blood, and Five Viscera could not be neglected.

The Lesser Five Wheels Bright King Fist still needed practice.

But at this moment, Zong Shou practiced these three sets of fists merely to stretch his body.

When his body gradually warmed up, Zong Shou’s movements shifted again. They were slow and somewhat bizarre.

This was an external Guiding Technique (Daoyin), yet it differed entirely from any Guidance Art Zong Shou had created before.

It was a set of postures he had painstakingly derived through days of deep meditation over the past month.

For this purpose, he had completely neglected his practice in Spiritual Techniques and Talismans, leaving him a blank slate in the path of a Spirit Master, save for a significant increase in his Soul Power.

Beads of cold sweat streamed down his forehead. Zong Shou gritted his teeth, and blood occasionally oozed from the corners of his lips.

With these postures, he intermittently stretched his meridians. Sometimes correcting them, but more often twisting them into constant contortions.

In his past life, those who used Meridian Spirit Pills to correct their meridians had the aid of specialized apparatus. Now, not only did he lack drugs to numb his limbs, but he could only rely on this self-deduced, tailor-made Guidance Art.

Sweat poured down like rain. After three hours, the meridians regained their toughness. Zong Shou’s entire body was drenched, and large puddles of water stained the floor beneath his feet.

He collapsed to the ground, completely spent, too weak even to stand, merely gulping down the salt water he had prepared beforehand.

But this exhaustion was different from previous physical depletion. He lay on the floor for a full five hours before his breath finally steadied.

“I nearly failed and undid all my efforts! Heh, perhaps I’ve truly invented a form of torture, a secret technique designed specifically to torment people. The Meridian Spirit Pill combined with these postures—it’s a perfect match. Even those Celestial Rank Martial Ancestors would likely break…”

Zong Shou violently shook his head and managed to pull himself upright again.

Yet, he still felt utterly weak, not only his limbs lacking strength but even his Divine Soul feeling fatigued and powerless.

If someone attacked him now, he would genuinely have no power to retaliate.

Zong Shou subconsciously knitted his brow. He made a firm resolution: unless he was certain of complete safety, or if reliable guards or protectors were by his side, he would never casually use the Meridian Spirit Pill again, even if beaten to death.

However, when he looked within his body, Zong Shou felt a slight surge of joy.

He could clearly perceive that the two parallel meridians within him had been slightly corrected.

Not only had they been stretched as he had wished, but they were no longer tangled together like a mess of hemp rope. They had separated slightly, beginning from the Sea of Qi, extending outward in a spiral structure.

And the True Qi within the meridians seemed to possess a new order, circulating within the two channels, attracting and repelling each other.

Only in certain spots were they still entangled. This was because his Guidance Art was not yet fully perfected, failing to reach some specific points. It would require future refinement, and the transformation of his meridians had only just begun.

“It’s roughly in line with my predictions; the clash of vital energy is significantly reduced. But I wonder what the application of force is like with this spiral meridian structure?”

Zong Shou cautiously circulated a small amount of True Qi within his body and struck the adjacent chair with his palm.

The next instant, the incredibly sturdy Ironwood chair shattered into pieces. The fine wood shavings were then caught by a vortex-like force, scattering wildly in all directions.

Zong Shou’s expression was utterly stunned. He had only intended to break the chair’s frame apart, and he was satisfied with that. He had never anticipated such an outcome.

This spiral meridian structure was a measure he adopted out of necessity, but judging by this result, it seemed to hold immense potential.